Topo Fli-Lyte 2 Review

The original Topo Fli-Lyte was a favorite of mine; though it was not a "best of the best" shoe, it was still a great shoe. Thankfully, Topo have actually made small improvement with the second version without making any mistakes. The cushioning is a little better, it's a little lighter, and it's just as comfortable. The Fli-Lyte's cushioning is quite natural and with some good spring. A key benefit of the Fli-Lyte over pretty much every other shoe is that it seems to be designed to fit the human foot. It captures some of the natural biomechanics and freedom that you normally only get in something like a Vibram FiveFingers. In fact, I go so far as to say that my toes feel rather more natural in the Fli-Lyte than they do in a FiveFingers. I've rated the Fli-Lyte as "Highly Recommended". (I use The Science of Running Shoes as the basis of how I test running shoes and what you should look for in a running shoe.)

Topo Fli Lyte 2 top

Topo Fli Lyte 2 outside

Topo Fli Lyte 2 bottom

Topo Fli Lyte 2 inside

1 Characteristics

Cushioning. The Fli-Lyte is reasonably well cushioned with a nice combination of springiness and responsiveness. Personally, I find that this is about the right level of cushioning for the marathon or 50k distance, and maybe enough cushioning for a 50 miler. It's certainly not a Maximalist shoe, but it's plenty for most purposes. Even with the second version's improvements, the Fli-Lyte's cushioning-to-weight ratio is rather poor, providing about the same cushioning as the New Balance RC5000v2 but is more than twice as heavy. It also weighs about the same as the Hoka Clifton which is a massively more cushioned.

Drop. The Fli-Lyte has a 3mm drop when loaded, which is close enough to zero drop for me, in line with many shoes that claim to be zero drop (yes, I'm talking about Altra.)

Structure. The Fli-Lyte does not interfere with your Running Form with medial posts or the like.

Flexibility. The Fli-Lyte is quite flexible, and unlike the first version, there doesn't seem to be a specific point that the forefoot wants to bend.

Outsole. The Fli-Lyte has rubber outsole most of the contact patches. The outsole seems fairly thick, with no stone traps or other holes in the sole. There is more exposed midsole foam than the first version, which is probably where the improvements in cushioning and the weight reduction has come from, but I don't think this will cause a problem.

Shape. The Fli-Lyte has the best shape of any shoe I've tested, with a nice roomy toe box that allows my toes to move quite naturally. The founder of the company apparently worked for Vibram and was involved in their FiveFingers range of shoes. The toe box of this shoe allows for the same type of natural toe movement that you get in a FiveFingers shoe, which is a great achievement. The Topo's shoe shape is quite a bit better than Altra, whose toe boxes are overly stylized and exaggerated, as well as not having quite enough headroom.

Upper. Like virtually all modern running shoes, the Fli-Lyte has a comfortable, largely seamless upper. There are a few overlays, but their placement means they are unobtrusive. The ankle opening is nicely padded and comfortable. The upper is reasonably breathable as you can see from the picture below.

Tongue. The Fli-Lyte has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces. The tongue is soft and nicely padded and stayed in place well.

Lacing. The Fli-Lyte has flat laces which I think it an improvement over the round laces of the original (even though I didn't find the original's laces came undone on me.)

Heel Counter. The Fli-Lyte has only a modest heel counter, though none would be better. However, the rear of the shoe is a little stiffer than I would like, though this did not cause me any problems even with my skin condition.

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2 Changes From The First Version

The first version of the Topo Fli-Lyte 1 was a great shoe, and the changes to the second iteration are thankfully just slight tweaks.

Version 2 is slightly lighter, probably due to less outsole material.

Version 2 is also slightly better cushioned, again probably due to less outsole.

The overlays have been changed very slightly, but it's not easy to spot the differences

The laces are now flat (yeah!)

There's now exposed midsole foam where the first version had outsole over virtually all contact areas.

3 A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes

If you're looking for "the best of the best" running shoe, here are my top picks. Of course, the answer will depend a little on what you're looking for, so I have recommendations for various categories.

Best All Round Shoe. The Altra Escalante is my current all-round favorite. It has plenty of cushioning for its weight, it has a very springy midsole, it lasts well, and it has a shape that's closer to the shape of a human foot than most shoes. It's a great shoe for any runner, including those Starting to run. It's also a fairly easy shoe to find due to its popularity.

Best Maximalist Shoe: If you want something massively cushioned, then I'd recommend the Saucony Kinvara 8. It's remarkably light and remarkably cushioned, beating Hoka at their own game.

Best Optimal Shoe: For those looking to trade cushioning for speed, the Nike Zoom Streak LT 3 was my top pick, but the latest version (LT 4) falls short of it's predecessor. There are lots of great optimal running shoes, which provide just enough cushioning with light weight and minimal frills, but all have their weak spots. Probably the best option at the moment is the Altra Vanish-R, which offers great cushioning for just over 5oz/150g.

Fastest Shoe: If you really want speed, then check out the Nike Vaporfly 4%. It's light, massively cushioned, and has a carbon fiber plate. Nothing comes close, not even the now defunct New Balance RC5000‏‎ or New Balance RC5000v2‏‎. There are a number of caveats; it's really expensive, it's really hard to find, and there's a significant injury risk.

Best Minimalist Shoe: Merrell Trail Glove. I recommend the trail glove for road running in spite of the 'trail' moniker. It's not a fast shoe by any means, but it's comfortable and will last well.

All Terrain Shoe. For trail running, I've become a fan of Altra, and I think their best shoe is the the Altra Timp, though the Altra Lone Peak is really close.

Honorable Mention: It's not really a running shoe, but the Vivobarefoot Ra is comfortable, minimalist and can more or less pass as a dress shoe. I've worn mine to weddings with a suit and they've not looked out of place. You can run in the Ra, but the leather means it doesn't breathe well.